(Photo: Swifty / Flickr) by Vera Cavallin On November 15 Kosovo held its first elections since declaring independence from Serbia last year. The turnout was very low, not more than 45% of the population voted; many people, disappointed and discouraged by the instability of the country, decided not to take part into the elections. The economic and social situation of the smallest of the Balkan states is indeed very complex, with an unemployment rate of 40%, decaying infrastructures and continuous tensions between Serbs and Albanians. Many Serbs did not vote on November 15 following the directives of Belgrade. “Kosovo is an integral and inalienable part of Serbia, it always was and it always will be”, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic stated for the Serbian TV Pink. He added that Serbia does not recognize elections scheduled by the government of the “so-called independent Kosovo”. Therefore the tension between Pristina and Belgrade continues to be high. So far, 63 countries have recognised Kosovo as a state – including the US and most countries in the European Union. Serbia has vowed to block further recognition and has Russia's support. Today the main reason of the tensions between Serbs and Albanians is the issue of returns. The Kosovo Serb community consisted of 6000 - 7000 persons before the 1999 conflict, most of whom are yet to return to the municipality. The issue of returns, both for Serbs and non-Serbs people, is fomenting anger and resentment among the population with an increasing tax of disillusion towards national government and politics. There are internally displaced persons living since 1998 in accommodation centers in Pristina waiting for going back to their houses a few kilometers outside the capital. There are hundreds of families waiting to go back Kosovo in order to recover their possession. Governments have the responsibility to establish institutions that protect property rights and ensure remedial mechanisms to its citizens. Kosovo has institutions mandated to resolve property disputes and to protect the rights of all individuals to the peaceful enjoyment of their possessions, as established by European standards. The effective use and functioning of these institutions is crucial for strengthening rule of law, economic development and the sustainable return of those displaced during the conflict. Effective property rights protection requires that all actors help strengthen and respect the legal and institutional framework that is set up to address the issue of property restitution. The creation of a multi-ethnic Kosovo with full respect for the rule of law is one of the main outcomes to be achieved. This includes extensive measures to safeguard the future of all communities in Kosovo, thereby creating a basis for Kosovo's sustainable economic and political development. For these reasons, the EU launched in 2008 a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) mission in Kosovo to assist and support the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area with a number of limited executive powers. All the more relevant international bodies are present in the kosovar area. The international community has indeed the responsibility to create an environment favorable to the restructuring of the country; it has the duty to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights like the right to freedom of movement (Article 2, Protocol 4, European Convention for Human Rights), the right to property (Article 1, Protocol 1) and the right to respect for family and private life (Article 8).So far, the Kosovo Government has spent many words of encouragement to convince people, especially Serbs, to return. But there are still many empty houses. Inadequate financing for returnee-related projects, lack of access to property, unfavorable political situation, inadequate access to education and limited opportunities for employment have negatively impacted on the process of return. And, consequently, on Kosovars’ perception of national policies and international forces' role in loco. Without concrete actions supported by international and national bodies to develop policies of sustainable returns and detect the sources of inter-ethnic tensions, Kosovo will continue to experience low turnout and generalized disillusionment.